Influence Trumps Validation

Have you ever felt validated?

Maybe you won an argument, recalled an obscure fact, or simply felt like you were smarter than your peers because you scored an A+ on your last exam. Validation is great…for yourself. But rarely does being validated have a positive effect on groups of other people.

Sure you feel awesome, high-fives all around. But what can other people do with your validated thought? Not much.

However, if you change your personal validation into a team-driven expression of progression or creativity, you create something much more powerful.

Influence #

Changing the behaviors, speech, and emotions of others is far more valuable than validating your own thoughts. It is essential to validate assumptions before digging in on an idea. That’s true in most cases. There are sometimes when you need global buy-in to your assumption that takes you past validation to the targeted goal.

Do What I Do and What I Say #

If I told you to take off your shirt and pants right now and put them on backward, you’d shake your head with contempt at me.

“Who the heck does this elitist chump think he is….”

But what if these guys told you to do it.

Thought so.

Validation can only get you so far. On the other hand, influence can make you so powerful that even you can get the world to buy into a “crazy idea”.